Central Coast goalkeeper Danny Vukovic has described Newcastle as a "different beast" this A-League Men season, and his dislike of them remains as strong as ever.
The Mariners and Jets will face off in Gosford on Saturday night in an F3 Derby both sides are desperate to win.
Central Coast, the defending champions, sit last on the table with no points to show from their opening four games.
It marks the equal worst start to a title defence - matching Brisbane's four-match losing streak to start the 2014/15 campaign.
Newcastle finished 10th last season, but they are fairing much better so far this campaign with a win and two draws from their opening four matches.
The rivalry between Central Coast and Newcastle is not only intense, but it's also the longest derby in the ALM competition.
It's famously called the F3 derby due to it being the original name of the motorway that joins Newcastle to the Central Coast.
The trophy that will be up for grabs is a core drill sample from the motorway linking the two teams, and Vukovic didn't mince his words when speaking about the significance of the rivalry.
"It means a lot. We don't like the team from up North," Vukovic said.
"I know the supporters don't like each other either, and it's one for the supporters more than anything.
"We want to get one over the rivals, there's a trophy on the line as well which we hold, so we want to hold onto that."
Central Coast have won five of their past six battles against Newcastle, including the past two on the bounce.
The Mariners also hold the overall edge with 22 wins to Newcastle's 19, along with 18 draws.
But the Jets will fancy their chances on Saturday against the struggling Mariners.
"I think the Jets are a different beast this season," Vukovic said.
"Last season they probably didn't have the best year of football. They seem to be a much stronger side now.
"Up front they're scoring more goals than they were last season, and they have some speed up there.
"We're expecting a difficult game tomorrow. But it's a derby match.
"They say the form book goes out the window. That's probably a good thing for us."
The match was originally meant to be played at Newcastle's home ground, but it was moved to Gosford after turf renovation was required at McDonald Jones Stadium following a recent Supercross event.
